Cotton-comber.



L; W. CAMPBELL.

COTTON COMBER.

APFLlCATlON FlLEDAPR-Qih I915.

1 ,221 0255 Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

witness Inventor Mg LEON W. CAMPBELL m NORRIS vsrcns CUVPNDTO-LHNQ. wAsmNnmN. n c.

"UNIT LEON w. CAMPBELL, or nos'ron, MASSACHUSETTS.

COTTON-COMIBER.

1,22Ltl25.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Application filed. April 23, 1915. Serial No. 23,335.

To all whom it may concern.

Beit known that I, LEON W. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Combers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cotton combing machines and particularly to the lapping and piecing mechanism thereof.

In machines of this'type the staple is fed between a revolving comb cylinder and an oscillatory nipper which comb out the fleece and deliver it to a series ofdetaching rolls where it is held, until another staple length is advanced and pieced with the staple already held. This pieced length is then advanced slightly and the operation repeated.

These machines have been open to several objections which the present invention aims to overcome. One objection is that the piecing and overlapping of the staple lengths has been effective only when treating long cotton. The lengths of the staples vary considerably and such machines as have been devised have been only slightly eflicient with the shorter staple lengths. It

has therefore been a matter of difiiculty to secure a fleece of uniform evenness and strength, particularly in the shorter varieties of staple without abnormal waste.

To the end therefore of providing a machine which will efficiently comb and piece an extensive range of staple with the minimum waste and which will have high production for even the shortest cotton, I have devised my present invention. In this invention, perfect piecing with long overlap and fleece of uniform evenness and strength is secured by an arrangement of feeding, nipping, combing and supporting each staple length until the succeeding length is similarly treated and lapped over and pieced to it.

The construction and operation of my invention will be more fully disclosed in the specification that follows. In the drawing forming a part of that'specification I have shown a staple comber which not only clearly illustrates the principle of my invention but is in itself a form found satisfactory in use. Throughout specification and drawing, like reference numerals are correspondingly applied and in the drawing:

The single figure is a vertical section through so much of a combing machine equipped with my invention as is necessary for a full and clear understanding of the principles involved and indicating in dotted lines the position of the parts for the piecing step.

In this invention the staple length S is drawn by a pair of feed rolls 1 through registering openings 2 in a pair of relatively rotatable nipping cylinders 3 and 4: and is passed downwardly over the lower feed roll and through openings 5 and 6 at opposite sides of said cylinders into the path ofra segmental series of combing needles 7 on a rotatable combing cylinder 8.

Each nipping cylinder 34L has a handle 9 which may be actuated in any desired manner to turn the cylinders through a portion of an arc. When the cylinders are turned, the handles assume the dotted line position shown. The turning movement of the cylinders carries that portion F of the staple length which projects through the openings 56 and has been combed by the needles 7 and that intermediate portion M of the staple length lying within the cy1inders between the feed rolls and the openings 56 up into the dotted line substantially horizontal position indicated. In this position the combed fleece portion F of the staple is severed from the intermediate portion M by the action of the nipper cylinders, one of which is moved back to its original position to cause a wall of its delivery opening to nip off the fleece F at its point of support therein, whereupon the other cylinder is then moved back to original position. The fleece F thus severed is positively supported by a suction nozzle 10 in lapped relation to a previously treated length of yarn Y held between the detaching rolls 11 with that portion lying between the rolls 11 and the cylinders positively supported by the suction through the nozzle 10. The upward suction (indicated by the arrows in the nozzle 10) is created in any desired manner as by a fan (not shown) driven from any suitable part of the machine. When the lapping step is accomplished, the detaching rolls are then rotated slightly to advance the combed yarn a short distance and positively piece the fleece F to the previously treated lengths. The other nipper cylinder is then moved back, the feed even in the very short lengths is uniform in evenness and strength.

It will be noted that the overlap of the piecing obtained in the present machine is sufficiently long to insure positive continuity of the combing. In other machines it has been difficult to secure more than a fractional part of any inch overlap and the piecing has therefore been correspondingly impaired. Furthermore it will be observed that that portion of the last combed piece of yarn Y between the rolls 11 and the nip pers is positively supported by the suction so that it is in proper position for immediate piecing with the advancing combed portion F when'said portion is brought up under it and severed.

Various modifications in the form and construction of my device may obviously be resorted to within the limits of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the class described, a

' combing device for a staple length, and suction means for supporting a previously combed staple length in efi'ective piecing relation to the length combed by said combing device.

' 2. In a machine of the class described, a combing device for a staple length, and a suction nozzle for supporting a pre viously combed staple length in overlapping'piecing relation to the length combed by said combing device.

'3. In a machine of the 'class'described, a combing device for the tip portion of a staple length, suction'means for supportmg a previously combed staple length in overlapping relation to the tip portion combed by said combingdevice, and means for presenting said tip portion to sald prev ously combed length and for severing said t1p portion from the main body of the staple length- 4. In a; machine of the class described, a combing device, means for advancing a staple length thereto, means for supporting a previously combed length 1n overlapping relation to said advanced length to which it is to be pieced, means for moving said advanced length to said supported length and means for severing said advanced length from the main portion of the staple length.

5. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, means for advancing a staple length thereto, a suction device for supporting a combed length in overlapping relation to said advanced length to which it is to be pieced, and means for piecing said lengths.

6. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, means for advancing a staple length-thereto, means for moving said combed length from said combing device, means for severing said combed length, and means for positively supporting said severed length in overlapping relation to a combed length to which said severed length is to be pieced.

7. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, means for advancing a staple length thereto, means for moving said combed length from said combing device, means for severing said combed length, and suction means for positively supporting said severed length in overlapping relation to a combed length to which said severed length is to be pieced.

8. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, means for advancing a staple length thereto, means for moving said combed length from said combing device, means for severing said combed length, suction means for positively supporting said severed length in overlapping relation to a combed length to which said severed length is to be pieced, and means for piecing said lengths.

9. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, a feeding device, a pair of relatively movable nipper devices having means for guiding a staple length to said feeding device, and having means for guiding said staple length from said feeding device to said combing device, means for severing said combed portion of the staple length from the uneombed portion thereof, and means for supporting a previously combed length in effective relation to said severed portion which is to be pieced to it.

10. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, a feeding device, a pair of relatively rotatable nipper devices having inlet openings for the entrance of a staple length and having exit openings for guiding said staple length to said combing device, means whereby said nipper devices may be relatively moved to sever said combed portion of the staple length from the uncombed portion thereof, and means for supporting a previously combed length in overlapping relation to said severed portion which is to be pieced to it.

11. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, a pair of relatively movable nipper cylinders having inlet openings for the entrance of a staple length, means within said cylinders for advancing said staple length, said cylinder having registrable exit openings opposite to said inlet openings for guiding said staple length to said combing device, means whereby said cylinders may be relatively rotated to cause said exit openings to sever said combed portion of the staple length from the uncombed portion Within the cylinders, a suction device for supporting a previously combed length in verlapping relation to said severed portion Which is to be pieced to it and means for moving said overlapped lengths away from said suction device after they have been pieced.

12. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, means for receiving and guiding a staple length to said combing device and for severing said combed portion of the length after it has been combed by the combing device, and suction means for supporting said severed portion.

8. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, and a pair of relatively movable members for receiving and guiding a staple length to said combing device and for severing said combed portion of the length after it has been combed by the combing device.

14.. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, a pair of relatively rota table members for receiving and guiding a staple length to said combing device and for severing said combed portion of the length after it has been combed by the combing device, and suction means for supporting said severed portion in overlapping relation to a length to Which it is to be pieced.

15. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, a feeding device, and a pair of relatively movable nipper cylinders having inlet openings at one side for guiding a staple length to said feeding device, and having exit openings at its opposite side for guiding said length to said combing device.

16. In a machine of the class described, a pair of relatively movable nipper cylinders having registering inlet openings at one side for a staple length and having registrable exit openings at its opposite side for the passage of a portion of said staple length, said exit openings constituting cutting means for severing said projecting portion upon a relative movement of the nipper cylinders in one direction.

17. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, means for advancing a staple length thereto, and suction means for supporting said length after comblng in piecing relation to a previously combed lengtl 18. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, suction means effectively disposed for supporting a previously Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the combed staple length, means for advancing a staple length to said combing device, and means for advancing said combed length in piecing relation to said previously combed supported length.

19. In a machine of the class described, a combing device, means for advancing a staple length thereto, means for severing the combed portion of said length, and suction means for supporting said severed portion and for supporting a previously combed length in overlapping relation to said severed portion.

20. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding an untreated staple length, and pneumatic means for supporting said length after treatment in piecing relation to a previously treated staple length.

21. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding an untreated staple length, and pneumatic means for supporting said length after treatment in piecing relation to a previously treated staple length, positively supported by said pneumatic means.

22. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding an untreated staple length, and pneumatic means for supporting said length after treatment in piecing relation to a previously treated staple length positively supported by said pneumatic means, and means for piecing said lengths.

23. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding an untreated staple length, and pneumatic means for supporting a previously treated staple length in position to be pieced With said first named length after treatment thereof.

24. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding an untreated staple length, means for piecing a previously fed length With said first named staple length after treatment thereof, and pneumatic means for maintaining said lengths in position to be pieced after treatment of said first named length.

25. In a machine of the class described, pneumatic means for maintaining a staple length just treated, and a previously treated staple length in position to be pieced.

26. In a machine of the class described, a pair of relatively movable concentrically mounted nipper cylinders slidably bearing one upon the other and having openings for the passage through the cylinders of a staple length and means for feeding the staple length mounted Within the inner cylinder.

In testimony Whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LEON W. CAMPBELL. Witnesses VICTORIA LoWDEN, MARION C. HoBBs.

Commissioner of Fatents,

Washington, D. G. 

